Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Russian Roulette: Taxpayers Could Be on the Hook for Trillions in Oil Derivatives

Russian Roulette: Taxpayers Could Be on the Hook for Trillions in Oil Derivatives


http://www.globalresearch.ca/russian-roulette-taxpayers-could-be-on-the-hook-for-trillions-in-oil-derivatives/5420960

Atomproject: AES-2006 is Russia's major export design of nuclear technologies

Atomproject: AES-2006 is Russia's major export design of nuclear technologies


http://eng.belta.by/all_news/economics/Atomproject-AES-2006-is-Russias-major-export-design-of-nuclear-technologies_i_78290.html

Russia and the U.S. Need to Get Along. The World's Safety Depends on It.


Russia and the U.S. Need to Get Along. The World's Safety Depends on It.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/120609/russia-us-nuclear-weapons-proliferation-cooperation-deteriorating

Back to the Future - Brookings



Back to the Future brookings.edu

The accidents at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima have imperiled nuclear power’s rise worldwide. As Third Way’s Josh Freed illuminates in the latest Brookings Essay, the Golden Age of nuclear energy in the United States has passed.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/essays/2014/backtothefuture?cid=%2000900013020016101US0001#

Atomproject: AES-2006 is Russia's major export design of nuclear technologies

Atomproject: AES-2006 is Russia's major export design of nuclear technologies


http://eng.belta.by/all_news/economics/Atomproject-AES-2006-is-Russias-major-export-design-of-nuclear-technologies_i_78290.html

All F. Daiichi unit 4 fuel bundles have been removed

The final four fuel bundles that remained in the unit 4 Spent Fuel Pool were loaded into the transfer cask, the cask sealed, lifted from the pool, and trucked to the ground-level common storage facility. All of this was watched by the Japanese Press.
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141220p2a00m0na014000c.html
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/12/20/national/all-spent-fuel-removed-from-reactor-4-pool-at-fukushima-no-1-tepco-says/#.VJWXW3Dw
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001805644
http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2014122000188

Energy Quote of the Day: On Approaching an Oil Price Floor

Energy Quote of the Day: On Approaching an Oil Price Floor

By Jared Anderson
China's Main Share Index Falls After Tax Tripled On Stock Transactions
It appears the largest oil price decline since the 2008 economic and financial crises could be reaching a bottom. Maybe. Luckily we don’t have the displeasure of making oil price forecasts, like our colleague Ed Crooks the US Industry and Energy Editor at the Financial Times: Anyway, benchmark global oil futures prices rebounded today partially

America’s Next Energy Hub – Philadelphia Dealt a Major Setback

America’s Next Energy Hub – Philadelphia Dealt a Major Setback

By Ronald Schuler | Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC
Atlanta Falcons v Philadelphia Eagles
In 2012, the city of Philadelphia announced plans to privatize the Philadelphia Gas Works (“PGW”). PGW is the nation’s largest municipality-owned natural gas utility with more than 6,000 miles of gas mains and service pipes supplying approximately 500,000 customers in the city of Philadelphia. The sale was positioned as a means to fix the municipal pension fund as well as the first step in developing Philadelphia as an energy hub, taking advantage of its proximity to the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays as well as its status as a coastal port.http://breakingenergy.com/2014/12/19/americas-next-energy-hub-philadelphia-dealt-a-major-setback/?utm_source=Breaking+Energy&utm_campaign=dcf08114d7-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f852427a4b-dcf08114d7-407304281

ob losses hit all but renewable energy across power sector

ob losses hit all but renewable energy across power sector


http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/227683-job-losses-hit-all-but-renewable-energy-across-power-sector

Alstom shareholders back 12.35 billion euro sale of power arm to GE


Alstom shareholders back 12.35 billion euro sale of power arm to GE


http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/12/19/us-alstom-m-a-general-electric-idUKKBN0JX16D20141219

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has given a nod to restart two units at the Takahama nuclear plant

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has given a nod to restart two units at the Takahama nuclear plant days after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept back to power.


http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/japan-nuclear-watchdog/1534722.html#.VJOvRigfYQI.linkedin

CNNC signed Design Contract with CAS on Thorium Base Molten Salt Reactor

CNNC signed Design Contract with CAS on Thorium Base Molten Salt Reactor

Chief Executive Officer at Dynatom International GmbH 
CNNC Nuclear Power Institute of China recently signed a design contract with Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on 10mw solid fuel thorium base molten salt reactor of the main part of the experimental reactor project. It marks that the joint design and research and development work between CNNC and CAS has entered into the substantial stage.


Source: http://www.heneng.net.cn/index.php?mod=news&action=show&article_id=33181&category_id=7

heneng.net.cn heneng.net.cn

heneng.net.cn

Gas in Ukraine On another front

Gas in Ukraine

On another front

Ukraine needs energy reform to fix the economy and weaken Russia’s grip


http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21636775-ukraine-needs-energy-reform-fix-economy-and-weaken-russias-grip-another-front

With US Nuclear in Decline, Scientists and Analysts Urge Support for Next-Generation Technologies

With US Nuclear in Decline, Scientists and Analysts Urge Support for Next-Generation Technologies


http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/scientists-and-analysts-urge-more-support-to-boost-nuclear

Ex-IAEA Chief Warns on Using Unverified Intel to Pressure Iran

| http://www.lobelog.com/ex-iaea-chief-warns-on-using-unverified-intel-to-pressure-iran/

Ex-IAEA Chief Warns on Using Unverified Intel to Pressure Iran

by Gareth Porter
In a critique of the handling of the Iran file by the International Atomic Energy Agency, former IAEA Director General Han Blix has called for greater skepticism about the intelligence documents and reports alleging Iranian nuclear weapons work and warned that they may be used to put diplomatic pressure on Tehran.
In an interview with this writer in his Stockholm apartment late last month, Blix, who headed the IAEA from 1981 to 1997, also criticized the language repeated by the IAEA under its current director general, Yukiya Amano, suggesting that Iran is still under suspicion of undeclared nuclear activity.

Blix, who clashed with US officials when he was head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq from 2000 to 2003, said he has long been skeptical of intelligence that has been used to accuse Iraq and Iran of having active nuclear-weapons programs. “I’ve often said you have as much disinformation as information” on alleged weaponization efforts in those countries, Blix said.| http://www.lobelog.com/ex-iaea-chief-warns-on-using-unverified-intel-to-pressure-iran/

Friday, December 19, 2014

Nuclear Power Pivot Points

Nuclear Power Pivot Points


http://www.powermag.com/nuclear-power-pivot-points/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3002152&hq_l=15&hq_v=30108e0773

EPA Issues Final Federal Requirements for Coal Ash Disposal

EPA Issues Final Federal Requirements for Coal Ash Disposal
A final rule issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate coal combustion residuals (CCRs) from coal power plants clarifies technical requirements for coal ash landfills and surface impoundments nationwide under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and… Read Morehttp://www.powermag.com/epa-issues-final-federal-requirements-for-coal-ash-disposal/?hq_e=el&hq_m=3002152&hq_l=5&hq_v=30108e0773

Belgian government approves life extensions

Belgian government approves life extensions
The Belgian government has said that two of the country's oldest nuclear power reactors - Doel units 1 and 2 - can operate for a further ten years, reversing an earlier decision that the units must shut down in 2015.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Belgian-government-approves-life-extensions-1912145.html

NRC publishes Volume 4 of Yucca Mountain report

NRC publishes Volume 4 of Yucca Mountain report
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has published Volume 4 of its safety evaluation report on the proposed underground geologic nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-NRC-publishes-Volume-4-of-Yucca-Mountain-report-19121401.html

Chinese fast reactor completes full-power test run

Chinese fast reactor completes full-power test run
China's experimental fast neutron reactor has successfully been operated at full capacity for the first time, China National Nuclear Corporation announced.http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Chinese-fast-reactor-completes-full-power-test-run-1912144.html

State Dept: U.S. Nukes Down 85%, From 31,255 to 4,804

State Dept: U.S. Nukes Down 85%, From 31,255 to 4,804


http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/state-dept-us-nukes-down-85-31255-4804_821888.html

India Expresses Concern Over Pakistan-China Nuke Deal

India Expresses Concern Over Pakistan-China Nuke Deal

Read More at inserbia.info/today/2014/12/india-expresses-concern-over-pakistan-china-nuke-deal/ © InSerbia News


http://inserbia.info/today/2014/12/india-expresses-concern-over-pakistan-china-nuke-deal/

Third DF-41 ballistic missle test suggests China's nuclear buildup

Third DF-41 ballistic missle test suggests China's nuclear buildup


http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20141219000155&cid=1101

China: Lines blur between nuclear and conventional warfighting

China: Lines blur between nuclear and conventional warfighting


http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2014/12/19/China-Lines-blur-between-nuclear-and-conventional-warfighting.aspx?COLLCC=4220798082&

Welcome to China and America's Nuclear Nightmare

Welcome to China and America's Nuclear Nightmare


http://nationalinterest.org/feature/welcome-china-americas-nuclear-nightmare-11891

South Africa: Press Release - No Good Tidings in Christmas Nuclear Announcement

South Africa: Press Release - No Good Tidings in Christmas Nuclear Announcement


http://allafrica.com/stories/201412190968.html

Westinghouse Electric, EDF Sign Fuel Supply Deal

Westinghouse Electric, EDF Sign Fuel Supply Deal


http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2014/12/19/westinghouse-electric_2c00_-edf-sign-fuel-supply-deal-121902.aspx#.VJSWz0AM4

High-Energy Innovation: The Case of Shale Gas

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 08:00 AM PST
The boom in U.S. natural gas production, created by technical innovations in the recovery of natural gas from previously inaccessible shale rock formations and land-use policies that favor private development, has helped lower electricity costs and benefited the petrochemical and manufacturing industries.read morehttp://theenergycollective.com/jessicalovering/2173626/high-energy-innovation-case-shale-gas?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

In California and Iowa, Advanced Energy Means Lots of Jobs

Posted: 19 Dec 2014 09:00 AM PST
The advanced energy industry in California is, not surprisingly, California-sized – over 431,000 workers in more than 40,000 businesses. Rural Iowa has 22,600 advanced energy employees in 1,400 businesses, more workers than in crop production, trucking, or animal production.read morehttp://theenergycollective.com/bob-keough/2170666/state-california-and-iowa-advanced-energy-means-lots-jobs?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The+Energy+Collective+%28all+posts%29

Reid: Yucca Mountain Project Will Never Be Built


Reid: Yucca Mountain Project Will Never Be Built

http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/reid-yucca-mountain-project-will-never-be-built/?dcz=

Belgium seeks to push back closure of two nuclear plants

Belgium seeks to push back closure of two nuclear plants
Brussels (AFP) Dec 18, 2014 - Belgium's government announced Thursday plans to extend the service life of two nuclear reactors due to be shut down next year as the country faces the risk of electricity shortages. The Doel 1 and 2 reactors were due to be the first to be shut down as part of Belgium's planned phase out of nuclear power by 2025, but the government said it would seek to keep them operating as three of the co ... morehttp://www.nuclearpowerdaily.com/reports/Belgium_seeks_to_push_back_closure_of_two_nuclear_plants_999.html

DIA: North Korea Planned Attacks on US Nuclear Plants

DIA: North Korea Planned Attacks on US Nuclear Plants

Five commando units trained for strikes, sabotage

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/dia-north-korea-planned-attacks-on-us-nuclear-plants/

Land, water rights needed for Nevada nuclear dump


Land, water rights needed for Nevada nuclear dump

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/energy/article/Land-water-rights-needed-for-Nevada-nuclear-dump-5966605.php

ANS Update: Congratulations to the TOFE Topical Meeting Organizers -Winter 2013

Updates from ANS Nuclear Cafe Blog
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American Nuclear Society

Congratulations to the TOFE Topical Meeting Organizers -Winter 2013

By ansnuclearcafe on Dec 19, 2014 07:52 am

On behalf of the Fusion Energy Division (FED) Officers, I would like to offer my most sincere congratulations to the organizers of the recent 21st Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE) that took place embedded in the … Continue reading
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Why Would the Saudis Deliberately Crash the Oil Markets?

Why Would the Saudis Deliberately Crash the Oil Markets?

Simple: to undermine Tehran.


http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/12/18/why-would-the-saudis-crash-oil-markets-iran/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Flashpoints&utm_campaign=2014_FlashPoints%20[Manual]RS18%2F12

The Greenland Ice Sheet: Now in HD

The Greenland Ice Sheet: Now in HD
San Francisco CA (SPX) Dec 19, 2014 - The Greenland Ice Sheet is ready for its close-up. The highest-resolution satellite images ever taken of that region are making their debut. And while each individual pixel represents only one moment in time, taken together they show the ice sheet as a kind of living body--flowing, crumbling and melting out to sea. The Ohio State University has partnered with the Polar Geospatial Center at ... morehttp://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_Greenland_Ice_Sheet_Now_in_HD_999.html

Hidden Movements of Greenland Ice Sheet, Runoff Revealed
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 19, 2014 - For years NASA has tracked changes in the massive Greenland Ice Sheet. This week scientists using NASA data released the most detailed picture ever of how the ice sheet moves toward the sea and new insights into the hidden plumbing of melt water flowing under the snowy surface. The results of these studies are expected to improve predictions of the future of the entire Greenland ice sheet ... more http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Hidden_Movements_of_Greenland_Ice_Sheet_Runoff_Revealed_999.html

Migrating 'supraglacial' lakes could trigger future Greenland ice loss
Leeds, UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2014 - Predictions of Greenland ice loss and its impact on rising sea levels may have been greatly underestimated, according to scientists at the University of Leeds. The finding follows a new study, which is published in Nature Climate Change, in which the future distribution of lakes that form on the ice sheet surface from melted snow and ice - called supraglacial lakes - have been simulated fo ... more http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Migrating_supraglacial_lakes_could_trigger_future_Greenland_ice_loss_999.html

 North Atlantic signalled Ice Age thaw 1,000 years before it happened
London, UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2014 - The Atlantic Ocean at mid-depths may have given out early warning signals - 1,000 years in advance - that the last Ice Age was going to end, scientists report in the journal Paleoceanography. Scientists had previously known that at the end of the last Ice Age, around 14,700 years ago, major changes occurred to the Atlantic Ocean in a period known as the Bolling-Allerod interval. During thi ... morehttp://www.spacedaily.com/reports/North_Atlantic_signalled_Ice_Age_thaw_1000_years_before_it_happened_999.html

Plunging oil price to reset global defence budgets: IHS

Plunging oil price to reset global defence budgets: IHS
London (AFP) Dec 19, 2014 - Global defence spending is likely to remain constant for the next two years as tumbling oil prices cut the budgets of Middle East exporters, but swell the coffers of Asia-Pacific importers, defence analysts IHS said Friday. With Brent crude recently falling below the symbolic $60 dollar (48.8 euros) mark - a 50 percent drop since mid-June - the defence budgets of countries in the Middle Ea ... morehttp://www.spacewar.com/reports/Plunging_oil_price_to_reset_global_defence_budgets_IHS_999.html

PennEnergy's Top Oil & Gas News 12/19

Top Oil & Gas News

Why oil is down by half, what it means for you

The price of oil has fallen by nearly half in just six months, a surprising and steep plunge that has consumers cheering, producers howling and economists wringing their hands over whether this is a good or bad thing. …more>>
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PennEnergy Video News Update

From the Senate's plans for Keystone XL, to Apache's LNG sale, to an oil spill in Bangladesh, all of the week's biggest headlines are in the PennEnergy Video News Update. …more>>
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This Week's Most Popular Oil & Gas News

Oil pipeline to top US Senate agenda next year

Apache sells stake in 2 LNG projects for $2.75B

Oil spill in Bangladesh threatens aquatic animals

EIA: Despite lower crude oil prices, U.S. crude oil production expected to grow in 2015

Libya: Fighting closes largest oil export terminal

Eni exploration well exceeds expectations offshore Congo

GCA: Will US shale lose out to deepwater in oil's 2015 pain game?

Enterprise begins open season for gas pipeline expansion

GE to acquire to enhance subsea production with Oceaneering product line acquisition

Statoil announces development plan for Gullfaks Rimfaks offshore development

Small leak reported from natural gas pipeline in Michigan

New York will move to prohibit hydraulic fracturing

APPEA: Guidelines support existing shale gas regulation

PennEnergy's Top Power Headlines 12/19

Top Power Headlines

13 killed in collapse at hydropower plant site in Ecuador

Thirteen workers were killed in a collapse over the weekend at the construction site of the Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric power plant in Ecuador …more>>
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MIT: The future of fusion power

The next two years in MIT’s Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) may see fusion research embark on a landmark period of innovation …more>>
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Top Power News

Susquehanna shuts down Unit 1 due to water leak

The Energy Frontier of Combining Coal, Renewable Energy Systems

Iberdrola tapped for 674 MW combined cycle power plant

SolarCity, BOA to finance approximately $400MM in residential solar

New 1,329 MW Warren County gas-fired power station

IBM: Organizations struggling to defend against cyber attacks

ETEC adds 50 MW of biomass energy capacity (Video)

Thefts raise security concerns at Los Alamos lab

Putin turns to India to clinch new nuclear power deals

South Africa unveils five-point plan to address energy challenges

Continued funding confirmed for MOX project

GE teams on underground microgrid project in New York (Video)

PennEnergy Blogs and Op-Eds

All Energy: Your Move, Consumer…

After several years of booming business, we’re getting a taste of something the US oil and gas industry once thought it might never see again: Too much of a good thing. …more>>
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Governing Energy: 2008—Redux

A rapidly falling market presents operations with significant challenges. The common mantra, “do more with less” can become gospel. …more>>
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Mini nuclear – the future for powering factories?

Mini nuclear – the future for powering factories?


http://www.energylivenews.com/2014/12/17/mini-nuclear-the-future-for-powering-factories/

Power Engineering's Top Stories 12/19

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Top Stories
Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to break ground in 2015
The head of EDF Energy said work on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant is expected to begin in 2015. Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said more legal work needs to be completed before a final investment decision could be made, but that he was confident that decision would be made in the first quarter 2015.
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Recovery project for Kingston ash spill nears completion
Clean up efforts, from the 2008 Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill, is near completion. In the spring of 2015, TVA will submit a final report to the EPA and TDEC for review and approval.
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Kudankulam nuclear units to be up and running by 2021
India’s government says units 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project are scheduled to begin commissioning in 2020 and 2021.
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Iberdrola to build combined cycle gas turbine power plant in Massachusetts
Iberdrola Engineering and Construction has been awarded a contract, by Footprint Power, to build a 674-MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) electric generating plant in Salem, Massachusetts.
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The Week's Most Read Articles
Video: Mary Powell is POWER-GEN 2014 Woman of the Year
During PennWell’s Annual Awards Gala, Mary Powell was named the POWER-GEN 2014 Woman of the Year. This is the second year that this prestigious award has been given to a highly successful woman who works in the largely male-dominated power industry.
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Power plant safety
Power plants are much safer than they once were; however, plant employees still encounter hazards. Training, along with proper operation and maintenance procedures, are key to reducing accidents and mitigating their effects.
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Optimism Is in the Wind: The Wind Energy Generation Industry is Growing Stronger by the Year
The Production Tax Credit (PTC) is needed to keep wind energy nationally competitive, said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the keynote speaker at this year’s Financial Forum Luncheon at Power Generation Week.
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Xcel Energy sues GE over steam turbine failure at coal plant
Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) has sued GE (NYSE: GE) for a turbine failure that cost the company millions in repairs at the Sherburne County Unit 3 (Sherco 3) coal-fired power plant in Minnesota.
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More Headlines
Mississippi regulators OK small Entergy rate increase
Regulators to consider Ga. nuclear plant costs
PGE completes Tucannon River Wind Farm
NTE Carolinas signs PPA with Greenwood, SC
U.S. Congress OKs $345mn for MOX fabrication facility
Plant Vogtle new nuclear units celebrates a year of construction
J-Power requests safety checks for nuclear MOX fuel project in Japan
Boeing 737 factory to move to clean energy
Smaller renewable power projects up 58 percent
Kansas firm moves ahead on wind as rule is debated
EDF EN Canada commissions Phase 1 of Rivière-du-Moulin Wind Project
Eos Energy Storage receives $2.1Mn from California Energy Commission for battery demo
Two more nuclear reactors OK to restart in Japan
Dominion's 1,329 MW Warren County gas-fired power station enters operation
SC bill would encourage investment in wind energy
Southern Company subsidiary to expand solar projects in Georgia
DOC imposes additional tariffs on solar panels from China, Taiwan

Industry Trends
Henry Hub Average Natural Gas Spot Prices
The Henry Hub is the pricing point for natural gas futures contracts. Here's a look at how prices have changed up to October 22, 2014.
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Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Economic Indicators
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas offers a glimpse into how the markets are doing domestically and internationally.
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EIA’s weekly coal production report
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released its coal production report for the week ending Dec. 13.
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